Dunkirk’s Fionn Whitehead on co-star Harry Styles: ‘He’s a great actor but people are putting too much emphasis on him being in it’

Dunkirk's Fionn Whitehead has suggested that while Harry Styles gives a "great" performance in Christopher Nolan's upcoming World War II drama, there's been too much media focus on his supporting role. Particularly when the film's impressive cast also boasts Oscar-winning actor Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy and Kenneth Branagh. Twenty-year-old British rising star Fionn takes the lead as soldier Tommy in Nolan's survival film, and while he couldn't say too much about his character or the plot, he did tell Digital Spy of Harry's feature film debut: "He's great, he's a good actor and a lovely guy.

"I think the hysteria – [perhaps] it should have been expected when you take a figure like that and give him a short back and sides and put him in a uniform. "I think it's got a bit silly really. The meaning has got lost somewhere along the way and people have stopped realising there's an amazing cast – including Harry – but there's, you know, the creme de la creme of actors. "I think the focus should not be Harry Styles doing a movie, it should be on the piece in general or his ability to act. And he's great."

Another one of Harry's co-stars, Mark Rylance, joked about Harry and his "nice" hair as he collected his BAFTA for Wolf Hall last year, telling reporters: "My 11-year-old niece has taken interest in my profession all of a sudden because of Harry Styles. "My niece showed me a video of him the other day. He has nice hair." Fionn also defended the One Direction singer from all the fan and press "hysteria", adding: "People are putting too much emphasis on Harry being in it, but that is in no means a reflection on him. "He hasn't asked for any of this. In terms of the media, they have put too much emphasis on this one guy instead of the piece as a whole and the ensemble as a whole."